Ga. Deputy Kills Man Who Was Wrongly Imprisoned for 16 Years

Facts

Leonard Allan Cure, a Black man who was exonerated after serving 16 years for an armed robbery conviction, was shot dead by a Georgia sheriff’s deputy Monday during a traffic stop.¹
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) said Cure was driving to Florida on Monday morning to visit his mother when a Camden County deputy stopped him because he was speeding.²
The GBI described Cure as compliant with the officer’s commands until his arrest began. Preliminary findings by the GBI detail an altercation that involved the officer, who was unharmed, using a stun gun and baton on Cure before firing his weapon.²
Emergency medical personnel were unable to save Cure, who was pronounced dead at the scene. The Camden County Sheriff’s Office has asked the GBI to conduct an independent investigation and submit it to the district attorney for review.³
Cure gained national recognition when he was released from prison in April 2020 after serving more than 16 years for a 2003 armed robbery in Broward County, Florida. He filed one of the first petitions to Broward’s newly created conviction review unit, which determined Cure was 'most likely innocent.'⁴

Left narrative, as provided by Rolling Stone. This is a tragedy that epitomizes the deep systemic racism against Black men in America. Cure barely got three years of freedom before law enforcement took his life. Police abuse continues to be a scourge of US society, and an investigation must lead to reform so Cure didn’t die in vain.
Right narrative, as provided by New York Post. Evidence suggests the sheriff’s deputy did not intend to kill Cure. He tried other means to subdue the suspect before firing his weapon. The GBI will conduct its investigation, and we shouldn't jump to conclusions before it's complete. Cure had a difficult life, but the police should be considered innocent for now until other proof surfaces.